Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Wired 14.06: Don't Try This at Home So while on one hand, the government is all worried about declining science scores, and the other, it is making it impossible for people to study science.

Litigation and liability have made the home chemistry set a thing of the past. Now schools are eliminating chem labs for the same reason. Can't let anything dangerous (like knowledge) get close to the kids, after all.

Now the war on (some) drugs and the paranoia of the Dept. of Homeland Security is driving all the suppliers out of business, or just making it impossible for the average science geek to study chemistry.

Read and weep for the death of the American Spirit of Ingenuity. [Via Tam]

The people who condemn me for being on the board of directors of the NRA, are literally condemning the basic right of self-defence. ... Gun control is about guaranteeing that good people will be helpless!

Violent crime invades the DC Mall - WaPo (and the police) are shocked. Girl Sexually Assaulted in Armed Robbery The gun ban in DC does not stop crime, since as we all know criminals don't pay attention to the law. What it does is disarm honest citizens, and make them helpless victims.

You can also notice that giving thieves money did not make them go away. This woman was raped. And this isn't the first violent crime... it was the 3rd in 48 hours. [via KABA]

Resistance is futile!: Carnival of Cordite #60 After a weeks hiatus - as Gullyborg moved to a new abode - the Carnival is back with vengeance. With two posts from yours truly.... ignore the "humor," there knuckle daggers in every crowd.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

(PHOENIX, AZ) April 20, 2006 – Chris Simcox, President of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (“MCDC”), today announced plans by the MCDC to work with local Arizona land owners to build border security fencing on private land along the border with Mexico.

At present, six private land owners have partnered with the Minutemen for the commencement of construction of border fencing on their land. Surveillance cameras on the fencing will be monitored via computer by registered Minutemen across the country. We have chosen a fence design that is based on the Israeli fences in Gaza and on the West Bank that have cut terrorist attacks there by 95% or more.

They are requesting donations to defray costs. The fence will be built on private land with private funds. [hat tip Michelle Malkin]

Thanks to Tam for reminding us of this poem. Kipling wrote "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" in 1919, and it would seem we haven't learned a blessed thing since then.

Here are three stanzas that seem to capture the feeling.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Why are we so willing to believe that we can have everything and it will cost us nothing? Why are we so willing the follow the leaders who promise us easy solutions to complex problems? Why do we never learn from history?

Within seconds, Granger ran into his parents' bedroom, found the safety box, unlocked it and loaded two guns for him and his mother. He ran back to the living room as the intruder threw a bicycle at the door and started kicking it in...."I was real scared and nervous, but I knew I had to stay focused on what I had to do because my mom and the kids were there," Granger said.

His mother was too shaken to use a gun, so he did stay focused, and when the goblin kicked in the door, he fired a warning shot. The goblin wasn't impressed and Granger fired 4 more times, injuring the home invader.

Granger even faced a malfunction, when a gun jammed, but he remembered his training and proceeded with the task at hand.

He even locked up the guns after [the goblin] left, before he checked on his mother.

Friday, May 26, 2006

So anyway he tells Huffington that he spent his 15th summer in France (visited Cannes) and spoke nothing but French the whole summer. Of course his biographies insist he spent his 15th summer working on his family farm. (He made big noise about the work he did on his family farm.)

And if he spent an entire summer in France, speaking French, how come he could scape by with straight Cs in his High School?

Thursday, May 25, 2006

The Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration allows only approved emblems of religious beliefs on government headstones. Over the years, it has approved more than 30, including symbols for the Tenrikyo Church, United Moravian Church and Sikhs. There's also an emblem for atheists - but none for Wiccans.

Shouldn't all religions get equal billing?

Sgt. Patrick Stewart, 34, who was killed in Afghanistan last September when the Nevada Army National Guard helicopter he was in was shot down.

His family wants to put a Wiccan pentagram on his headstone. Why is this forbiddden? Who in Washington gets to determine what religions are worthy?

MAY. 25 8:38 A.M. ET Emerging from a year-end rut, the economy dashed ahead in the opening quarter of this year at a 5.3 percent pace, the fastest in 2 1/2 years.

The new snapshot showed gross domestic product was even stronger during the January-to-March period than the 4.8 percent annual rate first estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Is it just me or is burying this story in the business section - where fewer people will read it - all about suppressing news that makes G. W. Bush look good?

Do you think economic growth like this would be downplayed if a Democrat was in the White House?

Of course they have to play up all of the (supposed) problems in the economy - how the 5.3% rate didn't meet the expected 5.8% rate (as if that mattered). The NYT also went on about the cost of oil, and that it is sure to make life miserable for everyone. (They didn't go so far as to blame Bush outright.)

Still the news is good. The economy, after taking a break in the the 4th quarter over the shock of energy prices (expanded at 1.7%) is back in full gear.

78-year-old man shot a 14-year-old burglar 4 times. The goblin is still in the hospital. The homeowner was treated and released (after being hit in the head with a pair of pruning shears).

The Brady Bunch will count this as "a child tragically shot." The fact that the child was committing a felony crime at the time, and that he was shot in self-defense won't get in the way of propaganda. Why clutter the issue with facts?

Ten minutes is a long time if a wacko is trying to break into your house.

The suit was thrown out, since you can't sue the government for failing to provide services, or not providing them to your satisfaction. Deputies were dispatched and arrived on the scene. It just took a good long while.

The moral of the story is that in the few moments you have when under attack, you are on your own. The police cannot guarantee you protection, and you cannot sue them for failing to provide protection.

The story had a happy ending. The goblin was shot 6 times by the homeowner, survived and went to jail.

She got a restraining order. It did nothing. She tried to call 911 he broke her cell phone. (He is charged - among other things - with interfering with an emergency call, a misdemeanor.)

So what happened?

[He] is accused of choking [her] until she was unconscious and breaking her cell phone when she tried to call for help has pleaded not guilty to several charges including attempted murder.

[He] also is charged with criminal mischief, interfering with an emergency call and violating a restraining order by entering the woman's home last Thursday, court documents show.

He could have easily killed her. The restraining order failed to keep him away. The cell phone failed to keep him at bay. This illustrates a truth; in the few moments you have when attacked, you are on your own.

A firearm may not have altered the situation, but I believe it would have. I believe it would have given this woman the leverage to defend herself.

You are obeying the law. You have a copy of the relevant statute with you so that police - who don't know the law - can in fact determine that you are not breaking the law. None of that matters and you are arrested, strip-searched and charged.

Welcome to the police state of Illinois. What do you think will happen if the Dems - who contol Illinois, who controlled New Orleans - win control of the whole country? [Hat tip The Liberty Zone and KABA]

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

History of domestic violence preceded deadly La. church shooting The goblin didn't shoot random people before kidnapping his wife; he shot her relatives. Her grandparents, a great-aunt and a cousin were all shot and killed. Her mother-in-law was hospitalized in serious condition, but is expected to survive. He also killed his wife before he was arrested.

I wish someone one the Left would explain to me how someone like Joani McBride is supposed to defend herself from 2 or 3 determined attackers without the aid of a firearm.

This article details the Wilton Manners (Fort Lauderdale), Florida Chapter, which I wrote about last August, when it was just getting started. Today they have about 25 members in the Wilton Manners Chapter.

Frink, ... recently competed in the USA Air Rifle National Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and she also qualified for the NRA Nationals that will be held next month in Redmond, Ore.

She qualified for the nationals with a strong showing at the NRA sectionals held at the University of Akron in April, where she earned a spot on the Ohio Rifle and Pistol Assn. team in air rifle. She will compete in a three-position event.

“I started shooting when I was eight,” said Frink, who will turn 14 next month. “I got involved because of a friend of the family and they (the Musketeers) offered me a membership.”

saljournal.com - Plan to pack? July 1st is the date that the new CCW law takes affect in Kansas. This is a nice article that covers the important aspects of purchasing a gun for self-defense. People start out worried about the things you read in gun magazines: "Recoil. Stopping power. Concealability."

But Larry Mulder, an owner of Cleve’s Gun Shop in Salina, says they’re not the most important considerations.

“The first factor to consider is whether you’re confident you would use it, not just to injure, but to seriously stop someone,” Mulder said. “If you have any question in your mind, get mace or pepper spray; don’t get a gun, because it’ll be taken away from you and used on you.”

This is true. If you have any doubts, try something else.

Then you have the age-old revolver versus semi-automatic debate. Revolvers are presented as being simple machines, semi-autos as being easier to use.

Caliber: Choose the largest caliber you can shoot accurately.

Being able to incapacitate your target with as few shots as possible is important, Harter [local gun dealer] said, because the more times you fire the weapon, the greater the chance you’ll hit an unintended target, wounding or killing an innocent person or damaging someone else’s property.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A man shot and killed at least four people in a Louisiana church on Sunday morning before kidnapping his three children and estranged wife, who was later found dead, media reports said.

People who are being stalked need to be able to defend themselves when they are on a known schedule at known locations: to-and-from work, picking-up and dropping-off kids at school and daycare, to-and-from religious services.

Making concealed carry off limits in this church, guaranteed that anyone who went to this woman's aid would be be facing overwhelming fire-power, with nothing but bare hands and courage. Four people died - it doesn't say that they went to her aid, but whatever the circumstances, they were all disarmed. Creating a disarmed-victim zone only protected the murderer in this case.

Although he kidnapped her, and drove away from the church with her, she was later found dead in his car.

No one knows what the outcome would have been had even one member of that congregation been armed. We only know what happened given that they were all disarmed by the state.

This week marks the anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in American history. Moving the Five Civilized Tribes (or trying to) west of the Mississippi river was nothing short of ethnic cleansing. Not genocide per se (though that would happen later in the West), but an organized government effort to remove an entire ethnic group from an area. An area where they had lived for generations.

Indian Removal Act of 1830: Passed by Congress on May 26, 1830, called for the removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the East, and resulted in the creation of the Trail of Tears.

It was all about land grabbing and prejudice. Mostly it was about land grabbing. The Cherokee nation held large amounts of land in Georgia, and that land was becoming more valuable as the white population of the state increased. The Choctaw nation held land in Mississippi, the Seminole in Florida, etc. The act mandated that the tribes be moved to Oklahoma.

The Cherokee nation fought in the courts, and eventually won a ruling that maintained their rights to the land, but President Martin Van Buren sent in the army and had them forcibly removed anyway.

An 81-year-old woman says she shot a man who was breaking into her home Thursday night.

So how is an 81-year-old supposed to defend herself from a young intruder, without a firearm?

If you take away her guns, she will be defenseless. Attackers will not need guns, they will be able to inflict great injury with their bare hands. Witness the result in the UK. (WARNING: Graphic photos) The animals who beat these 2 women did not need weapons, since they knew they wouldn't be up against anything.

The Brady Bunch and the Left in general likes to pretend that life would be great without guns. But then the elderly and the infirm would merely be easy victims of thugs who wouldn't even be taking a risk. Without some tool to overcome, the elderly would be truly helpless.

Palestinian [terrorists] have stepped up cross-border rocket salvoes since Israel quit Gaza last year after 38 years of occupation.

Things seem to have gotten worse.

But not calling attacks on school terrorism seems insane.

Shai Sar-El, a teacher at the school in Sderot, said the rocket punched through the roof of a classroom but that pupils were away at morning prayers at the time. Sunday is the beginning of the work and school week in Israel.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Some folks have been showing up at the blog, via searches on Katrina. Since hurricane season is right around the corner, I thought I would take a look at what happened last year.

If a major disaster strikes, can you take care of yourself, or will end up in a government run hell hole? 'And Now We Are in Hell' is a description of the New Orleans Super Dome, used last year as a refuge for "evacuees." (When did refugee become a non-PC term?)

While the story, like so many from last year contains a lot of lies, it undoubtedly captures the feeling of a refugee camp. Lawless, squalid, horrible. Will you end up in such a place?

In When Things Fall Apart I list some simple equipment that would help you to walk out of the path of destruction - before or after the destruction hit. Are you in fair shape? Do you have a pair of good walking shoes? A backpack? If you add to this some provisions, you can get out of the worst places.

Even if you are not in good shape, given water, and decent shoes you can walk 20 or 25 miles in a day. 50 miles outside of New Orleans, life wasn't normal, and you might still have needed disaster assistance, but you wouldn't have been stuck in a refugee camp, like the Super Dome.

Is a hundred bucks to much to spend to save your life?

As I said last year, when things go bad in a big way, the government will not be in a position to give you much assistance, and the worst among us will be free to take advantage.

Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity.[from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats]

It started with a robber pointing a gun a the convience store manager, who was also armed.

Pasem [the store manager] shot three rounds. One went into a box on a shelf. The second went through the top of a plastic divider, and the third went through the middle of the divider and struck Felder in the chest, Vergara reported.

[Matthew] Felder, having taken a hollow-point bullet from a Glock 27 .40-caliber handgun, left the store and ran a city block, Vergara reported.

Pasem and another employee chased Felder through yards, ending with Felder stuck on a fence by a shoelace.

Felder, who is a convicted felon due to another armed robbery, is expected to make a full recovery. He is charged with two counts of attempted felony murder, among other things.

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall....04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

Marriage changed a lot about 200 years ago, when arranged marriages were replaced (amid dire warnings about the collapse of society) with marriages based on romantic love.

Since the 60s we have been subjected to Britany, and Angelina and Billy Bob (she dumped him after he was caught with a hooker) to Angelina and Brad (he basically turned his back on a previous vow, because he wanted to) all the way back to Liz Taylor and 42, 42-year-old husbands. To say that anything gay people could do will "reduce the sanctity" of straight marriage can only be said if you've had your eyes closed for the last 50 years.

Jay Leno: The price of gas was so high, “Today, Congressman Patrick Kennedy walked into a concrete barrier.”

The crazy thing is that even given what a complete mess he is, even showing how the Kennedy family receives "special consideration" from the police, he will probably be sent back to Washington in the November. (Punish him for what? Being a Kennedy?)

During the robbery, Norton was threatened with a gun, beaten, handcuffed, tied with duct tape and nearly set on fire.

Two goblins were arrested right away; the third goblin - believed to be the leader - was in hiding for a month. Until he came back to kill Norton.

On Wednesday, [22-year-old Christopher Glenn Scarabello] wore camouflage and a bullet-resistant vest while hiding on Norton’s Lesher Lane property. He was armed with two guns and a knife, [Tehama County Sheriff Clay] Parker said.

Scarabello was spotted when Norton, a female friend and Norton’s dog returned from an outing. The dog began barking, Parker said.

Scarabello then chased Norton and his friend, who was not identified, into the house, Parker said.

Scarabello fired at least one round before Norton fatally shot him in the head, Parker said. The sheriff described Scarabello as the ringleader in the home-invasion robbery.

I suppose that the Brady Bunch will say Norton should just have run inside his home and called 911 and waited to be rescued. Of course, if he had done that, he would probably be dead now instead of Scarabello.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

This illegal immigrant took a sign away from someone protesting illegal immigration. (Apparently free speech is only supposed to go one way.) He was arrested.

The story would have you believe that is why is being deported, (it is right there in the first paragraph) but the truth is buried in there towards the end.

Laminson said police ran the fingerprints of Martinez-Pizzati as they do routinely with suspects and discovered he had given them a false name and had an outstanding federal warrant for entering the country illegally in February 2005.

He was ordered deported at that time.

Martinez-Pizzati, a Honduran national, has had a hearing before an immigration judge and was ordered removed from the United States imminently.

It is true that they are charging him with a felony.

Though there was no physical contact in the incident, Martinez-Pizzati was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, defined as taking "property, regardless of its nature and value."

If he ripped the sign out of the protestor's hands, I don't see how there can have been "no contact," but that's me. This is not applying different rules to different classes; this is the law.

The "advocates" are upset that he is charged with a felony for committing a crime They seem to be saying something like, "Give him a break, squashing someone's right of free speech isn't that bad, is it?" Unless it is their speech of course. Robbery - taking property that is not yours - doesn't seem to bother them either. Are they saying that illegal immigrants should not be subject to obeying the law? Well of course they don't believe in immigration law, but is there any law they do believe should be applied to immigrants?

This "immigrant" is already facing a federal order of deportation. Should it be ignored? He is also charged with making false statements to police.

But then they kept the homeowner from tending to the dog's injury and let the thing expire. Why? They left the dog there for half an hour before it expired and would not let the owner near the dog. Could a vet have saved the dog in that half hour? We will never know.

But the real question is, can they enter your home at any time and face no repercussions? They made a mistake you say. There was an alarm a few houses down and they got confused. But there is always something going on in the next block, in the next neighborhood, somewhere.

Imagine trying to use that excuse yourself. "I thought I was on the next street over where the speed limit is 45, not 15 in a school zone." You would sound like Steve Martin in his old "I forgot" routine from SNL.

They enter a home with no warrant, and really with no cause since they were in the wrong house (three houses away), and destroy personal property. Should they get off free and clear? Do you think you would get off so easy, if you blundered into the wrong house and shot your neighbors dog?

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

They have been making Ali move repeatedly - due to security concerns of her neighbors. So she resigned from the Dutch parliament and is reported to be coming to America.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali wrote the screen play for Submission: Part 1. (see the film at Google Video - 11 minutes - at that link. Iflim has replaced the entire film with a 3 minute clip. Don't be fooled by the opening, the film is in English.) This is the film that got Theo Van Gogh murdered by Islamic terrorists, and earned Ali death threats. And apparently the Dutch are happy to embrace dhimmitude, because a lot of them want Ali out of the country - she is too uncomfortable for them.

To see how far down that road they have gone, you only need consider this.

Last month, Ali praised the publication of cartoons of Muhammad in European newspapers. The Dutch prime minister criticized her stance, as did the speaker of Iran's parliament.

Monday, May 15, 2006

I have however been involved in the investigation of countless offences such as robbery, where handguns were the weapon of choice and I must point out Sir, that the firearms registry did not assist in solving one, nor obviously in deterring one. The reasons that the firearms registry is so highly ineffectual are, I believe obvious, but basically it affects the wrong people, law abiding citizens and not criminals.

But why the National Guard? We have 70,000 troops assigned to Germany - a vestage of the Cold War. While the US Army 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Divisions are assigned to Iraq, there are probably quite a few that could be stationed on the border. In addition to the troops in Germany, there are 1500 in Kosovo and another 1500 in Bosnia. I don't know if these could be spared or not, but I would submit that the security of America is more important than the security of Kosovo - at least to Americans. And who are we protecting the Germans from?

While I agree we don't want the military enforcing civil law, there is nothing wrong with having a military enforce border security. Most countries use their military to enforce border security, especially in time of war. And yes, we are at war - it is called the War on Terror, and I think we know that at least some enemies are coming across the Mexican border.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

The Fire Department operates 911 and the same operators also answer 311 (non-emergency) calls, and water department complaints. Since 1995 call volume has risen from 2.3 million to 3.6 million calls, but the number of operators has gone down.

Operators are also evaluated on how quickly they take calls. They're allowed to spend only an average of 84 seconds on a 911 call or get a bad evaluation.

That is not very comforting.

Also they do a poor job of getting the information they do have to the police. Police are sent to answer trivial calls and in emergencies are not given the information they need.

It almost happened in the case of Laquisha Harp. In a 911 call she is heard struggling with her ex-boyfriend and the line goes dead.

The operator did not pass information on to police dispatchers, so it was not assigned as a highest priority call. Harp ended up being kidnapped and severely beaten....In one instance, a citizen and a police officer were stabbed because the 911 operator never told police dispatchers crucial information about the suspect.

Yet the Left will insist that we just need to rely on 911, and like damsels in distress wait to be rescued. But life doesn't work that way. Often police cannot be called before the crime is committed. Even when they are, they are many minutes away - assuming 911 even sends anyone. The truth is, in those few moments you have when criminals descend on you, you are most likely going to be on your own.

Via Tam, I found a great series of posts on women and shooting. The advice is right on the money. (Tam has a great take on the first question below as well.)

Which gun for a woman is hard to answer, so Cornered Cat starts out with an easier question: What gun for a man? Let a man pick out a gun for himself? Whatever for. Don't all men like to shoot the same gun? There isn't a holy war going on between the 1911 crowd and the Glock crowd is there? (Not to mention those folks who like revolvers.) When men buy guns for the women in their lives, they typically fall into two categories. One group buys the .22 Long Rifle, and the other buys whatever they like.

I particularly liked How to Make Your Wife Hate Guns in 10 easy steps. (Guys do this in sailing too, and maybe in all of life.) Never include your mate in any of the "fun" parts of the sport. Never take her wishes into account regarding schedule, cost, location, etc.... anyway go read the whole thing.

Note: All people mentioned in this article are fictional. Any resemblance to any actual people is really regrettable.

Probably the most important is, Teaching your wife to shoot. This is a bad idea. When I was an NRA-certified instructor, we allowed husband/wife boyfriend/girlfriend teams to take the same class, but we did not let them sit together during the class-room portion, and we also separated them on the range. People with that much going on in a relationship don't make very good teachers. If you want your significant other to learn to shoot (and they are agreed) buy them a place in a local NRA class, and take them out to dinner when they pass.

House-sitter shoots would-be burglar 2 goblins break into a home, and are met by the brother of the owner - he was doing a bit of house-sitting. He was armed and fired several shots hitting one goblin.

Police say after the 18-year-old Wyoming man was shot, he and the other man fled the scene. The wounded suspect collapsed in a driveway across the street. He's in critical condition at a Grand Rapids hospital. The second suspect -- a Grand Rapids teen -- is in custody.

The Brady Bunch will call this "a child shot" since they count everyone up to 19 or 20 as children, without regard to whether they were shot legally or not. Police "don't think Diamond did anything wrong." (I can't say the same for the reporter, who tries to paint this event as worthy of prosecution.)

The legislation, which received bipartisan support in the House and Senate, expands citizens' rights under existing self defense laws to protect themselves inside their home to other locations, including their car or another person's home.

The measure also removes a duty on the part of citizens to retreat in the face of an attack and authorizes them to use deadly force to protect themselves when they believe they are in danger in any place they have a legal right to be such as their office, a supermarket or on the street.

Of course, not everyone is happy... Prosecutors have their knickers in a twist.

The bill prohibits the arrest, detention and prosecution of someone who uses deadly force unless officials find there is probable cause that the force used was unlawful.

Rick Talbert, a Tacoma Wahsington city counil member was attacked, apparently as part of a road rage incident. A car began following him and honking the horn as he drove to a dry cleaners. In the parking lot, he was attacked and hit at least twice. This motorist "then reportedly threatened to kill him while motioning as if he was reaching for a gun."

So Dan Korba, who works in the shop, came to Talberts aid - with a firearm in his hand. Media has been reluctant to report on this.

[S]ome of the reports seemed clearly reluctant to note the role that Dan Korba played in the drama. Initially, only the Tacoma News Tribune and KIRO Eyewitness News were interested in the fact that Korba came to Talbert's aid after grabbing a pistol he keeps at the dry cleaning shop where he works.

No shots were fired, but the threat was eliminated as the "motorist" jumped back into his vehicle and left the scene.

The Tacoma Tribune covered the story, but they archive things (and expect you to pay for access) fairly quickly. Big Media did not cover this of course, since it does not fit in with their anti-gun propaganda.

Authorities said the [armed] suspect jumped out of his car about 4 p.m. and ran up on the owner of the Goody's Fashions store on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, just inside I-285 in Northwest Atlanta. The two got into some kind of gunbattle in the parking lot but only the suspect ended up wounded.

The goblin is in the hospital. No charges were filed against the store owner.

Despite being aware of the abuse for some time, the United Nations appears to be operating at its usual sluggish pace. A U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Liberia, Jordan Ryan, told the Associated Press that the report was "outdated" and that "much has improved since then." "There are good things that are now happening in Liberia," he said, adding that those caught engaging in "sex-for-food" are fired.

Fired. Not tried. Not convicted. The penalty for extorting sex from starving children is to be fired. Yeah, that will send a message.

It took U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan nearly a year of similar allegations from the mission in Congo before telling reporters that he was taking the matter seriously. When the United Nations finally did act, a handful of peacekeepers were fired. But the scandal continues to spread, suggesting that a more serious overhaul of hiring and training practices needs to be implemented.

Study author David Dodenhoff says he found less chance of property loss or physical injury exists when a potential crime victim resists with a gun. He says criminals in states with concealed weapons laws are afraid of the possibility of confronting an armed victim.

Actually the only surprise is that the story was published by an ABC affiliate in Wisconsin. (No, it wasn't Madison or Milwaukee.)[hat tip NRA-ILA]

Ken fired his gun three times. The first shot hit a wall and the second hit the robber.

Three robbers are in custody, the fourth is in hospital with a gunshot wound.

Credit where credit is due:

When I first saw this story yesterday it was all about vigilantes. (It was referred to KABA with a headline and opening that called this guy a vigilante.) But today, someone seems to have found a dictionary, and decided that this guy isn't a vigilante. Self-defense is legal. I'm just glad that the news organization seems to realize that.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

It happened around 3am at a home on Bender near Kurt. Police say the woman was home with her three-year-old son when someone reportedly knocked on the door.

The woman asked the person to identify himself but he didn't answer. She told him to go away since she didn't know him. That's when two men apparently forced their way in the home.

The men were armed with a knife and a pellet gun. The homeowner struggled with the intruders, but managed to get to the kitchen, where she keeps her gun.

Personally at 3 AM, I would have retrieved the gun before doing anything else. But then I always keep a gun within easy reach of where I sleep. Someone knocking on a door at 3 AM may be in trouble - call 911 for them, don't let them in - or they may be trouble.

Still one goblin is off the streets. The 2nd is on the run, but the police think that they have the vehicle, so perhaps that will yield additional clues.

When I tell friends about my new interest (O.K., obsession), the conversation chills. It's as if I've taken up voodoo: they'll still talk to me, just not about It. "I just don't like guns," says one. "Don't like the idea of them." ...

Guns aren't moral agents, they're machines—elegant, superbly efficient, made to fit the human hand. ... Shooting for sport isn't, as I once thought, the desperate outlet of sad Hemingway types, but a fiendishly difficult art. As Peter, a former naval officer, says, "It's got all the Zen you could want." Trying to hit a bullseye smaller than a saucer from a distance of 100 m or more—and do it over and over again—demands things of you, and gives things to you. You have to align yourself not just with the gun and the target but with your surroundings: light must be taken into account (people tend to aim lower in dim light), temperature (on a hot day the bullet flies faster and higher), and wind.

This does qualify as a major media outlet. Too bad the US version seems to have ignored the story completely. [KABA]

So what happens when the authorities charged with keeping violent criminals locked up let them go, and they commit more crimes? In the US, you cannot sue the government. In Canada you sue everyone in sight.

The suit alleges the National Parole Board, Correctional Services Canada, the Commissioner of Corrections and the Attorney General of Canada did not do enough to protect the public from Michael Gardiner.

The family's suit also names the Salvation Army, which owns the building where the federal Hamilton Community Correctional Centre houses federal parolees.

Mr. Gardiner, 29, was on unescorted leave from the halfway house on May 27, 2004, when he attacked the 55-year-old mall employee in the back room of the framing store she managed.

The goblin was trying to rape her, and she suffered 22 knife wounds as she tried to defend herself.

Of course being a law-abiding citizen, in Canada she was limited to using her bare hands. No guns for self-defense in Canada. That may not have made a difference, there are no guarantees in this life. But putting the good citizens at a disadvantage and then failing to keep the violent criminals locked up is the worst kind of insanity.

Officials with both the parole board and Hamilton police opposed Mr. Gardiner's release to the halfway house just 13 days before the attack, saying he was a high risk to reoffend.

But the people who knew best were overruled by the bleeding hearts, who worry more about the rights of the felon than protecting society against goblins.

So now those bleeding-hearts are going to have to face the music. They are being sued by everyone in site. In addition to the family, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is suing. The woman was attacked at work and so is collecting compensation benefits.

I wonder what society would be like, if the people who made all of the stupid decisions and made insane policy were held personally responsible for the outcome.

In the past the media have posted names, addresses, birth dates, and other personal identifying information on websites and have printed them in newspapers. Such reckless conduct subjects license holders to possible identity theft, theft of firearms by criminals and tells domestic violence abusers and stalkers where to find victims who have moved to hide themselves and their children from these predators.

MONROVIA (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers, aid workers and teachers are having sex with Liberian girls as young as 8 in return for money, food or favors, threatening efforts to rebuild a nation wrecked by war, a report said on Monday.

And of course this not the only instance of UN "Peacekeepers" misconduct.

Allegations of sexual misconduct have dogged U.N. operations in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Haiti and especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the world body has accused members of its biggest peacekeeping force of rape, pedophilia and giving children food or money in return for sex.

The U.N. force in Liberia said in a statement eight cases of sexual exploitation and abuse involving U.N. personnel had been reported since the start of 2006. One of those had been substantiated and the member of staff suspended.

Note the "punishment." The staff member was suspended. Not fired. Not tried. Not sent to jail. The punishment for sexual misconduct of any nature, even with a child, is to be sent home.

The problem is widespread.

The report's compilers spoke to more than 300 people in camps for displaced people and communities where people had recently returned to their pre-war localities.

"All of the respondents clearly stated that they felt that the scale of the problem affected over half of the girls in their locations," it said, adding aid workers, teachers, camp and government employees, policemen and soldiers were involved.

"The girls reportedly ranged in age from 8 to 18 years, with girls of 12 years and upwards identified as being regularly involved in 'selling sex.'"

When are we going to stop supporting the criminal organization known as the UN? Forget Oil-for-Food; that only involved money and fraud. UN "peacekeeping missions" are frequently Sex-for-Food operations. Liberia is NOT unique. Allegations of UN Misconduct in Congo in 2004 were well documented, though all but ignored by Big Media.

Thursday evening Mike Dayem was in a battle for his life. A masked man entered Mike’s Food Market on Cleveland’s east-side with a gun and demanded money. When Mike’s 19 year-old son, Abe, who also works at the store, gave the robber everything in the cash register, the robber said it wasn’t enough and demanded more. Then the robber shot Abe in the head.

The robber was "given what he wanted," all the money in the cash register. The goblin still shot the kid behind the counter.

Giving criminals what they want does NOT ensure that they will leave you alone - no matter what the Brady Bunch says. And even if you would give that advice to a man facing a robber, what advice would give to a woman facing a rapist?

He rescued wounded marines. He used all available field dressings on another marine, even though he had been shot multiple times, since he believed one of them should survive and he decided it would be the other marine. Then when a grenade was thrown into the building, he acted again.

Kasal saw the grenade, and using his own body as a shield, leapt onto his fellow Marine as the grenade exploded.

"I thought the chances of surviving were zero," he said.

But he did survive and his heroism was rewarded this week. [Hat tip to Cowboy Blob]

The message of the movie is: We are all potential soldiers. And we all may be, at any moment, at the war's front, because in this war the front can be anywhere.

The hinge on which the movie turns are 13 words that a passenger speaks, without histrionics, as he and others prepare to rush the cockpit, shortly before the plane plunges into a Pennsylvania field. The words are: "No one is going to help us. We've got to do it ourselves." Those words not only summarize this nation's situation in today's war but also express a citizen's general responsibilities in a free society.

As Alphecca says, "THAT is what the Second Amendment is all about!" It is the realization that in a crisis, the police, the military, the government may not be able to bail you out. You may be called upon to act in defense of yourself, of others or even in defense of the society.

Like the passengers of Flight 93, your actions may not achieve the result you desire, but any action is sure to influence the outcome. That does not diminish the action, or the people who acted. It is simply a recognition that humans can't control everything. As responsible adults, however, we are called on to do what we can. And I believe that is what Jeff at Alphecca has in mind. At any time, each of us may find ourselves drafted into the militia, and be expected to fight the enemies of our country.

Send-A-Brick - Secure our Borders! An incredible idea! Send a brick to your Senators and Representatives. (They will even send one for you, but at a cost higher than you could do yourself.) They also want bricks sent to Hastert and Frist (House and Senate "leadership").

At least they are telling people that restraining orders are not the end-all of what you need to do.

Sometimes when an abuser finds out about the order, they may feel humiliated or rejected, and then turn angry and violent. Just obtaining a restraining order may increase the chance of violence against the victim.

So what do they say you should do?

But there are other ways to get help:Go to an abuse shelterTalk to a counselorMake an escape planAnd one of the best things you can do is learn self defense.

So what is the best form of self-defense? My answer to that question is, "Firearms." Nothing else is quite so effective for dealing with large or multiple attackers. [hat tip Ox Rant]

It has been 18 months since the Bentleys first appeared on our television screens after being terrorised by armed attackers, who bashed Peter to within an inch of his life. The case made media headlines when it became clear there had been a botch up of their 111 [NZ's version of 911] call.

The couple now knows that they are on their own.

Yes, we have weapons easily and readily available."

Maggie says the couple both have firearms licences.

"We both know the damage a gun can do."

Peter says if the situation ever happened again, they would not be afraid to use the guns.

"Oh I'd kill 'em. Absolutely, there would be no question at all."

The person who provided inside information to the home invaders was sentenced to two years - which may be served under house arrest. So much for deterence in the criminal justice system. [via Alphecca]

At 4:45 p.m., Rhone told officers, her former boyfriend held a knife to her throat in her North Portland apartment. By the time police arrived, he was gone.

At 7:38 p.m., neighbors called, saying they saw Rhone's ex trying to enter her apartment through a window. Police checked the area but couldn't find him.

By 10:53 p.m., Rhone lay dead from at least a dozen stab wounds on the lawn in front of her apartment, yards from a memorial tree planted for a Iris Court woman, Kyra Woods, 24, who was fatally stabbed by a former boyfriend 12 years earlier.

This of course was not the first incident. An assault, that resulted in hospitalization, was punished by 3 days in jail - oh, and probation.

I don't know if a weapon would have enabled this woman to defend herself. There are no guarantees in this life. It is painfully clear that the police and the courts were unable to do anything to save her.

The Left says we should just call 911, and wait to be rescued. That is exactly what this woman did. It resulted in her being killed. The Brady Bunch will say that we should just give the crimial what he wants. In this case the criminal wanted to commit murder. Is that what we should let them do? Calling 911 is a good thing, but it is not the only thing I intend to do if attacked. What will you do?

Ferguson attacked Phillips' wife, Sandra, outside their home during the morning of Feb. 27. The assailant was dressed in black clothing, wore a mask and held what appeared to be a firearm. The weapon was later discovered to be a Gamo P-23 CO{-2} pistol that shoots pellets.

Sandra Phillips broke from Ferguson's grasp and ran into her home while he pursued her, authorities said. Her cries awoke her husband, who grabbed his .357 Magnum revolver from a bedside table. Louis Phillips sneaked up on the intruder, who had one arm around his wife's neck and a gun in his hand. Louis Phillips fired three times at Ferguson, causing him to collapse and die.

I guess the DA in this case was just unwilling to admit that he couldn't prosecute self-defense. (If someone can tell me why a review of "the investigative findings of the Healdsburg Police Department" should take this long, let me know and I will update the post.)

The result has not, as the Left assured everyone, made those countries safer, it has made them the worst countries for violent crime. [click on the image for a larger view]

What are the three countries that report the highest rates of violent crime? Australia, England/Wales, and Canada - in that order. Canada in particular loves to blame the US for its violent crime problem, but if we were "exporting crime" to Canada, don't you think we would have a higher crime rate? We don't - Canada is #3, while the US doesn't rank in the top 10.

The police cannot be everywhere. One of the most effective means of reducing violent crime is empower the law-abiding to defend themselves from attack. [KABA]

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Although 911 denies there was such a call, there are witnesses to the fact that she called and her side of the conversation. Not that it matters; you can't sue the police for failing to provide protection.

But the point here is that the Left says, "Just call 911 and wait to be rescued." That assumes that

You can call 911 before the crime is committed

911 decides to believe you and send a car

The police can reach you in time.

Item 2 failed in this case, and two women paid the price with their lives.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

"The resident was attacked ... and got out the weapon to hold off the attackers," [Arlington Heights Police Capt. Jerry] Lambert said. "We're confident it was self-defense." The man was a registered gun owner and the AK-47 was a legal weapon.

Self-defense is still leagal in The People's Republic of Illinois? [KABA]

Oh, the joys of Spring. When the love bugs come out to make your life miserable.

If you live in the south, you probably know what these little bastards are. In this part of Florida, they are everywhere, and they are a pain in the ass. Thousands of the little suckers everywhere. Run into a bunch of them with your car and the acid in their guts will destroy the paint job. Underfoot, in your face - flying into your mouth if you're not paying attention.

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